In many sewing operations there is a need to provide a holder for supporting the article to be sewn, particularly in machine sewing operations, but also in manual sewing operations. Many personal, as well as commercial, sewing machines have the capability to embroider or sew particular patterns on an article. For example, decorative embroidery, including personal monograms, is desirable on stockings and other somewhat tubular or sleeve-like clothing articles.
Accordingly, there has been a need to provide a holder suitable for stretching or holding taut the portion of the article to be embroidered so that the article may be manipulated with respect to the sewing machine to perform the sewing operation. Heretofore, there has not been available a device which conveniently and properly supports sewing articles to provide embroidery or so-called monogram sewing work on articles such as stockings, socks and other articles for which such sewing operations are desirable. However, the present invention provides a unique solution to the above-mentioned problems and desiderata in the sewing art.
The present invention provides a holder for holding sewing articles including stockings, socks and other sleeve-like articles so that machine sewing operations, in particular, can be easily and conveniently executed.
In accordance with one important aspect of the invention, a holder is provided which is adapted to hold the top end of a stocking, sock or the like in a planar and somewhat stretched condition so that the article can be placed on a sewing machine to perform embroidery work or to perform other sewing operations including repair of the article.
The sewing article holder of the present invention is conveniently constructed as a single piece, formed wire article having opposed, generally parallel tines which cooperate with a hook or channel-shaped portion of the holder to provide for supporting the article to be sewed firmly while also allowing ease of manipulation of the article during the sewing operation. The holder is conveniently fabricated of a single piece of bendable but somewhat elastic metal wire which provides the article supporting tines, the channel or recess portion for allowing stretching of the article over the tines and opposed handle or grip portions which provide for convenient gripping of the holder during a sewing operation.
The present invention still further provides a method for performing embroidery work and the like on sewing articles, particularly generally tubular shaped articles, such as stockings or socks, using a holder in accordance with the present invention.
Those skilled in the art of holders for sewing articles and the like will further appreciate the advantages and superior features of the invention upon reading the detailed description which follows in conjunction with the drawings.